Department of
Environmental Quality

DEQ's Technical Services Division provides peer-reviewed scientific and engineering support to DEQ's Air, Waste, and Water Divisions and six regional offices. The division is organized into the following five disciplines:

Engineering

The Engineering Discipline performs engineering reviews and construction inspections for public water supply; treatment and distribution systems; municipal sewer and wastewater treatment systems; and wastewater land application facilities. In addition, members prepare wastewater land application and hazardous waste permits; review municipal and industrial water and wastewater facility planning studies as well as conduct NPDES inspections and enhanced sanitary surveys of public drinking water systems. Discipline staff include chemical, civil, and environmental engineers, all of whom are registered Professional Engineers or Engineers-in-Training.

Environmental Resources

The Environmental Resources Discipline can provide technical support and staffing to address areas in air, water and waste. Staff members are qualified to perform RCRA and Wastewater Reuse inspections, perform field investigations in soil science, temperature TMDLs, fish studies and other studies addressing aquatic life and habitats. Staff members have extensive experience in reviewing and preparing technical documents in all medias such as RCRA closure work and permitting, wastewater reuse permitting, preparation of temperature TMDLs, forest practices audits, advanced data entry, mining remediation projects and statistical data interpretation. The Environmental Resources staff are high qualified and experienced with educational degrees that include Chemical Engineering, Soil Sciences, PhD in Natural Resources, and various Master Level degrees in fish biology, botany, geography and planning and in geology.

Geosciences

The Geosciences discipline identifies and quantifies environmental problems related to ground water, soil, the interaction of surface water with ground water, remediation, mining, and hard rock geology.  Staff provides technical expertise and input into ground water and vadose zone models, aquifer characterization projects, and monitoring well network design for CERCLA, RCRA and mining projects.  Geosciences staff develop regional hydrology studies which tie ground water and surface water resources together into comprehensive and accessible data packages, collect samples, evaluate analytical results and prepare reports for water resources throughout the state.  The majority of individuals in the Geosciences discipline are very experienced, most with previous consulting experience in geology, hydrogeology, and remediation. Most staff are registered Professional Geologists. 

Environmental Engineering / GIS

The Environmental Engineering/GIS Discipline reviews technical aspects of industrial facility emission tests, emission inventory data, emission controls, and air quality compliance issues. Analysts also review the proper handling of asbestos materials during demolition and renovation activities at facilities that are major sources of air pollution. Geographic information system (GIS) staff provide spatial data development, management, analysis, and mapping support to all DEQ programs and regions. Primary GIS tools include ArcGIS and ArcIMS. GIS staff also are responsible for remote sensing applications and GPS training. Staff in this discipline have degrees in environmental and electrical engineering, geography, and environmental science.

Modeling / Risk Analysis

The Modeling and Risk Analysis group conducts atmospheric modeling to identify measures necessary to meet and to maintain healthy air quality levels, and to provide daily air quality forecasts for Idaho cities. In addition, this group develops and supports innovative fate, transport and risk modeling approaches for assessing human or ecological risk from petroleum, chemical and radionuclide contamination, pathogen dispersion, and sediment erosion.  Health and safety training and programs are also provided by this group for DEQ offices throughout the state.  The Modeling and Risk Analysis group is composed of database, computer science and Health and Safety specialists as well as toxicological, atmospheric and biological scientists and a Professional Engineer.